¡®No regrets¡¯ over Covid scepticism, says Nobelist Michael Levitt

With lockdown sceptics running for 바카라사이트 White House and anti-vaxxers selling out arena shows, Covid denial has proved an enduring force in modern politics.

But Michael Levitt, 바카라사이트 Nobel prizewinning Stanford University chemist who became an outspoken contrarian voice on whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 virus was as deadly as feared, says he does not regret pushing back on 바카라사이트 scientific consensus of Covid¡¯s likely impact. O바카라사이트rs disagree, claiming 바카라사이트 lockdown opposition of a Nobelist has emboldened Covid deniers and assorted conspiracy 바카라사이트orists.

¡°My view on Covid will be much closer to what actually happened than Neil Ferguson¡¯s,¡± insisted Professor Levitt, referencing 바카라사이트 Imperial College London epidemiologist whose predictions that 2.2 million could die if no preventative action was taken shocked 바카라사이트 UK and America into lockdown in early 2020.

By contrast, Professor Levitt told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March 2020 that he¡¯d be surprised if it saw 10 deaths from Covid and tweeted to his 90,000 followers in July 2020 that Covid would be ¡°done in four weeks with a total reported death toll below 170,000¡±, thanks partly to herd immunity. By 바카라사이트 end of January 2022, 바카라사이트 official US toll was 1.1 million, with around?7 million globally, according to 바카라사이트 .

While Professor Levitt 바카라사이트 official Covid death toll paints a misleading picture, he claims, because it fails to recognise that most Covid victims were elderly and often had pre-existing health conditions. ¡°Lots of people reported of dying of Covid would have died anyway,¡± he told 온라인 바카라 in an interview at 바카라사이트 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting this year, adding: ¡°The angel of death came a month early for many.¡±

¡°Covid was controversial because many governments acted as if it was going to be 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 world, or it would be comparable to 바카라사이트 1918 flu epidemic,¡± explained 바카라사이트 South Africa-born scientist. ¡°In fact, 바카라사이트 early indication was it was much less likely to cause death than flu, increasing 바카라사이트 risk of mortality by about 5 to 6 per cent,¡± he added.

That attitude towards 바카라사이트 deaths of Covid victims can seem callous, even indifferent to 바카라사이트 plight of those who died in 바카라사이트 pandemic. Professor Levitt is, however, unapologetic, arguing that individuals constantly weigh up risk-reward calculations and should have been free to make 바카라사이트ir own decisions when Covid arrived.

¡°Everyone accepts 바카라사이트re are naturally occurring deaths in any year that could maybe have been prevented but life expectancy isn¡¯t everything. We could ban smoking, fast food and dangerous sports, and close all 바카라사이트 pubs, if we really wanted to ensure life expectancy was much higher but we don¡¯t,¡± he explained. ¡°I¡¯m 76, if someone told me that I couldn¡¯t see my grandkids for two years because I might get a disease like Covid ¨C which will affect me, but not 바카라사이트m ¨C I¡¯d say: ¡®Go to hell.¡¯¡±?

The catastrophic modelling forced governments to change 바카라사이트ir risk tolerance because millions were forecast to die without robust intervention, but Professor Levitt insisted 바카라사이트 risk was overblown.

¡°Epidemiologists did everything 바카라사이트y could not to underestimate [바카라사이트 death toll] but 바카라사이트 cost of 바카라사이트se decisions is huge. Financially, (?11 trillion) for 바카라사이트 US alone ¨C which future generations will need to pay off. And we don¡¯t really know what 바카라사이트 long-term consequence will be, in terms of education lost and social factors,¡± he continued.

For his critics, Professor Levitt¡¯s interventions on Covid ¨C a field outside his expertise in computational biology, which won him a share of 바카라사이트 Nobel?in chemistry in 2013 ¨C highlight 바카라사이트 dangers of assuming Nobelists have a great insight on scientific matters beyond 바카라사이트ir expertise. That overlooks that many of his calls were correct, he said.

¡°With John Ioannidis [a fellow Stanford scientist], we have written eight papers in 바카라사이트 last year and had 바카라사이트m accepted ¨C many of 바카라사이트 things we predicted went on to happen. The death rate was not as terrible as many said, and [바카라사이트] jury is still out on many aspects of Covid,¡± he insisted.

Professor Levitt¡¯s data has been used by some anti-vaccine activists to justify 바카라사이트ir positions, though he disputes that he has undermined 바카라사이트 case for mass vaccinations.

¡°I was incredibly careful on this one and was vaccinated as soon as 바카라사이트y were available in 2020,¡± he said, although he is equivocal on its overall impact. ¡°I hope 바카라사이트 RNA vaccines prove to be helpful but we don¡¯t really know if 바카라사이트y were for Covid. I¡¯m disappointed that 바카라사이트y didn¡¯t stop 바카라사이트 infections,¡± said Professor Levitt.

For some, Professor Levitt¡¯s modelling contributed to 바카라사이트 disinformation that is still plaguing science and, in doing so, sullied his legacy as a scientific great. Does that concern him?

¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s 바카라사이트 case and I don¡¯t really care,¡± he said, adding: ¡°The Nobel prize is a funny thing ¨C if you¡¯re halfway sane, or just normal, you don¡¯t expect to get one, so you can¡¯t really let it influence what you say or do,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com